Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should start a career in writing children's books?

Question

What are some good ways of getting into children's publishing?

Answer 1

These sources should help you (!)

http://www.write4kids.com/

http://www.write4kids.com/getstarted.html

Also, you could try the Author's section in http://www.bookcrossing.com

Answer 2

The best think you can do is to write a book and polish it until you're sure it's perfect. The send it to a publisher. You can try looking for an agent but, unless you have uncommon talent, it will be hard to get one until you've sold a few books. Go to the library and find books on writing and, since you want to write children's books, look for information dealing with that genre. Also, get in the habit of studying children's books to see how they are written for the various age ranges. Each range has specific requirements which publishers demand. The story may be excellent, as may be the writing, but if the requirements aren't met for a given age range, no one will buy it. You need to study the market in order to know how to produce your product. Story telling produces stories and stories will be your product. Learn all you can about how and why things are done, then do them within your vision and approach.

I've been writing for thirty-four years.

Good luck.

Answer 3

1. Write and submit your work to publishers and magazines

2. Use every opportunity that comes your way to meet with people in the industry: editors, publishers, other writers, illustrators (the last if what you have mind are picture books)

3. If no such opportunities come your way, create them yourself. Attend festivals, enroll in workshops, etc.

4. Keep writing and submitting your work to publishers, magazines, etc.

Simply put: You need to produce work that is worth publishing, and you need opportunities to show your work to people who can get it published.

To put it another way, there are just two things that get writers published: talent and persistence. If you have both, then it's just a matter of time -- though sometimes it can be a very long time. If you are missing either, you can forget about it.

Lastly, while many people think they have both, 99.9 per cent of them are wrong. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, and if you decide you've got what it takes, I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

Answer 4

Do you know what children's books you like most? Who publishes them?